Yuffie's Red Flame
by Fiori-161
Summary: No matter how hard it gets, no matter how hard the coming fights might be, she will stand beside him, and they'll face it together. Sequel to Vincent's White Rose, takes place about 3 months after the previous story
1. Chapter 1: More Nightmares

Well, holy crap! I'm back with another story guys; Zero X has been put on hold for a while until I finish school and exams in November, but I finally decided I couldn't just leave you with the promise of Vincent and Yuffie's marriage. So here it is, the sequel to the 2000+hit story Vincent's White Rose; Yuffie's Red Flame! Danger, worry and a lot more FF-style fights are now around the corner for everyone's favourite pairing in the FFVII universe (you know its true). Now time to leave you with my favourite saying *takes deep breaths, preparing himself for it*

READ ON AND ENJOY! God I've missed saying that!

* * *

"No, not coming out," Cloud said loudly, "I refuse to be seen like this."

Vincent shook his head, leaning on a nearby support. He was dressed in his normal outfit, absent his cape, his gun Cerberus and his golden claw. "Come on, Cloud," he said, "We have to meet the girls in about fifteen minutes and grab an airship back to Edge. We don't have time for your vanity." Vincent had become much more eased and relaxed in the past three months. It could all be contributed to one person, a certain Wutaian ninja. She had worked changes in Vincent no one would have believed possible before.

"This hasn't got anything to do with vanity; I refuse to be seen in this," Cloud said.

"It's the same thing, Cloud," Vincent replied, "Now quit acting like a girl and get out here. We need to buy these things before next week. Or do I need to call Tifa and have her drag you out here?"

"Alright," Cloud said wearily, "I don't need any more headaches today." The door to the dressing room opened and Cloud stepped out, dressed in a black suit with a matching black bowtie. His shirt was white; the only thing missing from the ensemble was the white Wutaian flower both men would be wearing on the day of Vincent and Yuffie's wedding. Only a week was left, so the couple, plus Yuffie's maid of honour and Vincent's best man were in Costa del Sol for the weekend to pick up all the things the wedding planner (same person as the maid of honour, the lovable Tifa) couldn't get in Edge, including the men's tailored suits and the girl's dresses. Vincent wasn't allowed to see Yuffie's dress, of course, otherwise he'd have an over-large shuriken thrown at him, and probably get knocked through a wall. Tifa took her wedding planning seriously..._very _seriously.

"Okay, say it," Cloud said, letting his arms rise a little before letting them fall to his sides, "I look ridiculous, don't I?"

"I wouldn't say that," Vincent said, shrugging as he pushed himself off of the support pole he was leaning on. "Come on; get changed so we can get out of here." Vincent left his friend to groan and run his hands through his spiky blonde hair. As Cloud changed into his normal outfit and carrying the suit in a bag he had slung over his shoulder, Vincent paid for the suits, carrying his own suit bag. The two left the shop and into the sun of Costa del Sol. Vincent raised a hand as he winced at the bright light.

"Where are they?" Cloud asked, "What the hell could they be doing – the airship leaves in a few minutes."

"You're questioning the timekeeping skills of women that have gone shopping?" Vincent asked. Cloud looked at Vincent, then shrugged and gazed out over the ocean. The glittering blue waters stirred some old memories, memories of AVALANCHE and the battles fought with the group. Here they rested, before setting off after Sephiroth.

"Man, it's been a while since we've been here, hasn't it?" Cloud said, "the last time would have been...god, has it really been over three years?"

"Time flies," Vincent said with a shrug, preferring not to dwell on the past too much these days. He'd paid his penance already. "Look," he said, something catching his eye, "there they are now." Cloud turned and saw Tifa, dressed in her typical outfit, and Yuffie, dressed in a re-tailored version of her old green outfit from three years ago. On Yuffie's left hand, a white gold ring flashed in the sunlight, a blue materia gemstone set into it. When she locked eyes with Vincent, Yuffie's stormy grey eyes lit up and a wide smile took over her face. She dashed forward and ran into his arms, hugging him. She looked up at him, and he smiled before bending down to kiss her. "Have fun?" he asked after the kiss broke off and they linked hands and walked to the airfield, Cloud and Tifa beside them.

"Of course," Yuffie said, "Tifa makes this shopping thing fun; I think it's the only time she can be that excited without everyone complaining. We sent the shopping ahead so that we could get here in time." Tifa threw a glare in Yuffie's direction, but Yuffie just grinned and latched onto Vincent's arm with her free hand. They walked, chatting for the most part, to the local airfield. As they entered the airfield, Vincent turned around to look for this shopping delivery, stretching. Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through his abdomen; he let out a gasp of pain and collapsed to the ground, holding his gut.

"Vince? What's wrong?" Yuffie dropped to his side and put her hand on his shoulder. Cloud and Tifa turned as well, confusion and concern on their faces. Vincent grunted and shook his head as the pain began to subside.

"Its fine," he said as he forced himself up, Yuffie helping to support him, "I just twisted too far, that's all." Even as he said it, he checked that the old scar in his gut to make sure it hadn't been torn open. It had only been three months since he had fought against Yuffie's father's chosen suitor for her hand, and it had left him with an ugly scar, and occasional pain through his body, like now. "It's fine, nothing to worry about," Vincent said to Yuffie, who was still looking at him with concern, "Come on, we're gonna miss our airship." The four entered the commercial airship heading back to Edge; Cid still had to repair Shera after making her land in Edge with no fuel. The shopping was already packed into the cargo hold, so Vincent quickly whisked Yuffie away to their cabin before the ship took off, so she was sitting down when her air-sickness kicked in. After Yuffie went to sleep until they landed, he went to the observation deck to watch the clouds roll by.

"Vincent," Tifa's voice sounded from behind him, so he didn't bother turning around; she'd keep talking even if he didn't respond, "you said it wasn't hurting anymore."

"It wasn't, until today," Vincent said, "I just overstretched a little, it's nothing." Tifa moved to his side and stared at him, with a pout on her face. "And there's no point giving me that look; I'm not Cloud."

"Vincent, you're getting married in a week," Tifa said, putting her hands, "Don't you think it's a good idea to start it with a little honesty?"

"We're getting married now, are we Tifa?" Vincent retorted. Before Tifa could start up again, Vincent rounded on her, "In case you've forgotten, Tifa, you promised to stay out of my business for a whole year, remember? It's only been three months, if you've forgotten how to count."

"Why are you snapping at me?" Tifa asked, "I haven't done anything wrong." Vincent didn't say anything, but turned away. "Vincent, something's wrong, isn't it?"

"Yuffie hasn't been sleeping well," Vincent said after a minute or so of silence, "You couldn't tell?"

Tifa thought about it for a second; Vincent was right, Yuffie had been exhausted for a while. She wasn't really throwing herself into helping her with the wedding plans like she was when Vincent proposed. Tifa had been so excited to actually plan a real wedding, she hadn't noticed until now.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Tifa asked tentatively.

"No," Vincent said simply, "I don't." Not a lot really scared Vincent; not since he first woke up 30 years ago as the Galian Beast on Hojo's operating table and had a full on freak out. But since he had entered his relationship with Yuffie, more and more was starting to scare him; Yuffie's silence right now was one of them. Whenever Vincent woke in the night, she'd be shivering in his arms from a cold sweat. Something was bothering her, and he couldn't put his finger on it.

* * *

_Vincent had just defeated Soto. Yuffie felt all the worry vanish from her chest as she broke away from the group and ran towards him. Everything was going to be alright now. But then Soto rose up from the ground, drawing a knife. She shouted a warning, and Vincent turned, and got stabbed. She shouted his name again, and felt restraining hands stop her from going to his side. "LET ME GO!" she shouted, struggling as Vincent collapsed onto Soto, who was grinning madly; he whispered something to Vincent, and Yuffie could feel the anger that flared from his bleeding body. With a roar, he shoved his hand right through Soto. _

"_No one touches my White Rose," Vincent said, before collapsing onto the ground. Yuffie finally broke free from the hands holding her back, and she ran forward, reaching for a glowing Heal materia. "Vincent," she shook him as she tried to heal him, holding back the blood with her hands. He looked at her blankly, and then the light crept out of his eyes. "No...VINCENT!"_

"VINCENT!" Yuffie shouted, sitting bolt upright in bed, covered in sweat. She was breathing heavily, and tears were leaking out her eyes. She gave a sob, her hands gripping the blanket cover so hard her knuckles went white. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her, pulling her into an embrace.

"Yuffie..." Vincent's voice sounded above her. He was alright; nothing had happened, he was fine. But the memory of Soto's gloating smile, of the light going out in Vincent's eyes...the Wutaian heiress was crying freely, tears splashing over Vincent's chest. He stroked her hair, shushing her as he did so.

"It's okay Yuffie," he said, "It's alright, I'm here." Yuffie felt Vincent's lips brush against her hair, and cut off her tears, drawing in shaky breaths as she did so. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong this time?" her fiancé asked, "Or do I have to keep guessing?"

Yuffie didn't say anything, and her only response was to snuggle closer to Vincent, making sure he was real. "Just a nightmare," she said, clinging onto Vincent. But tonight wasn't going to be the night Vincent let this slide; he heard her scream his name, and he had plenty of experience with these sorts of nightmares. He slid and arm around Yuffie's waist and pulled her on top of him, making her face him.

"Yuffie," Vincent said, "this has gone on long enough. You're constantly exhausted, you're starting to lose your appetite, and I refuse to sit back and let this happen. I'm going to ask once more; what. Is. Wrong?" he punctuated each word. Yuffie looked at him with her stormy grey eyes, and swallowed.

"I keep dreaming about your fight with Soto," she said, "I can't stop thinking about it; every night, I have to watch it again and again until I wake up, and even then I..." she broke off and looked down. Vincent lifted her face up running his thumb down her cheek in a soothing way. "I never told you this Vince," Yuffie said, tears welling up in her eyes again as she tried to prepare herself; even though she had once thought that Vincent was playing up talking about his nightmares, she was having trouble, "but, back in the pagoda, after you killed Soto and I got to your side...I watched your eyes glaze over, the light leave them." She started shaking again, tears leaking down her face. "Vince, I thought you had left me, and..." Yuffie couldn't control herself anymore; she latched tightly onto Vincent, "and I thought that I'd never get you back," she sobbed. Vincent hugged her to him, offering what comfort he could. He let Yuffie sob, just stroking her hair and keeping her close, until the sobs stopped and she finally went into an easy sleep. He lay her back down onto the bed and kept an arm around her. He went to sleep as well, unaware that Yuffie was finally dreaming about something else, something happier.

_Yuffie was standing in a large round room, white flower petals drifting through the air, a bright flame in the middle of the room. All her friends were around her, dressed up for an occasion. She looked around, and saw Vincent, dressed in a dark red tuxedo, walking towards her. When he reached her, he took her hands in his and smiled. Yuffie smiled to, feeling warmth from Vincent's hands. She felt content, and everything melted away, except for her, Vincent, the falling flower petals and the bright flame, covering the two with its heat. Nothing could spoil this moment, nothing at all. _

* * *

_A little bit fluffy, yes. But that's just coz I know you guys eat it up. Stay tuned for the next one_

_Yuffie: YAY! More stuff from Fiori! He doesn't own FFVII by the way_

_Fiori: Oh you have GOT to be kidding me! How the hell did you get back in here; we just put up a new fence for christ sake!_

_Yuffie: Please! You think that stuff can keep out a ninja? Besides, I'm here with a gift_

_Fiori: Oh yeah? And what's that?_

_Yuffie: The pleasure of my company!_

_Fiori: *groans*_

_Yuffie: That's all fans and fangirls; trust me, it gets better later. I do all sorts of cool stuff-_

_Fiori: GET THE HELL OUT BEFORE YOU REVEAL THE PLOTLINE! OUT!_


	2. Chapter 2: Genesis vs Vincent

Well, here's the second chapter to Yuffie's Red Flame. Hopefully I can draw this out more than five chapters, to give you guys a more enjoyable read, but it might not happen. So...

Read On and Enjoy

* * *

When Yuffie woke up, she was immediately aware that Vincent wasn't in bed with her. She sat up automatically, searching for him. Before she could work up into a panic, she located Vincent leaning on the dresser in their room, fully dressed in his cape, absent his golden claw, looking at the ornate box she had brought him to keep Cerberus in. There was concentration on his face, like he was trying to open the box with sheer thought power. It wasn't working.

"Vince?" Yuffie said, and he jerked and looked at her. She climbed out of bed and went over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He lifted an arm and put it around her shoulder. "You okay?" she asked him, looking up at him, blinking.

"It's been over three months since I last picked Cerberus up," he said, "I guess I'm just worried I might not be as good a shot as I normally am. Reeve said there wouldn't be any danger, but it wouldn't feel right not taking it with me."

"Vince, do you really have to go today?" Yuffie asked. Reeve had finally picked up a trail on 'G', believing him to be a member of SOLDIER, and had asked Vincent to go with him into the outskirts of Midgar, where 'G' was last rumoured to be. "I mean, can't Reeve just take someone from the WRO instead?"

"I asked him about that before you woke up," Vincent said, "But he said that if I didn't go with him, he'd send a hundred Cait Sith's after me until I turned up. You know how much I don't like that thing."

"I'll talk to him then," Yuffie said, "He won't disagree with me. Then you can stay here and we won't have to be separated again..." Yuffie trailed off as Vincent looked at her. She hated it when he wasn't around, and he knew it too.

"No, it'll be fine," Vincent said, twisting in her grip so he could wrap his arms around her shoulders, "It's just recon; nothing too serious," he stroked her hair, and didn't notice the hard glaze that went over her eyes.

"Really, nothing bad will happen?" she said, in a tone that made Vincent frown, "and what happens if someone gets you here?" She stepped back and pressed her hand against Vincent's stomach, aiming for the scar. Vincent gasped and doubled over with a groan.

"That was low," Vincent breathed as he stood back up, his red eyes glowing. All credit to Yuffie; she didn't back down.

"I don't want you to go Vincent," Yuffie said, "I can't stand it when you're not here." Vincent noted that she had started using his whole name; always a bad sign. When he didn't say anything, she pulled away from him and went to stand by the window, with her back to him. Vincent clenched his hands into fists. Why were the problems surfacing now, so close to what would be the happiest day of their lives? Sometimes, Vincent wondered if there was some perverse god that sat on his throne in the heavens, decided it was too boring and messed with their lives for entertainment. He thought for a second on how to placate Yuffie for a while, and came up with something she'd appreciate. He opened the gun case and pulled out Cerberus, the triple-barrelled gun that had served him so well over the past few years. A triple-headed dog chain hung from the handle, and he unclipped it, sliding the chain through it so it resembled a necklace. He slid Cerberus into his holster and approached Yuffie, who turned slightly but kept her gaze away from him. He lowered the charm around her neck and clipped it together.

"This charm means a lot to me," Vincent said, as Yuffie looked at it and held it in her hands, "so as long as you wear it, I'm always going to be with you, and I'll always come back." Yuffie turned around to him, her eyes shining with tears.

"Vince..." Yuffie started to say something, but Vincent cut her off with a kiss. All arguments forgotten, she kissed him back with as much passion as she could muster, and he returned it. When the kiss broke off, Yuffie kept his gaze and said "Sure you won't stay?"

Vincent chuckled in his throat, "I don't really have much of a choice," he kissed her quickly again, "I'll be back before you have time to miss me."

"I miss you already," Yuffie said, claiming the win. She grinned as Vincent shook his head and kissed her forehead.

"Then I'll be back before you know it," he said, leaving in a swirl of his cloak, grabbing and sliding on his golden claw as he left. Yuffie looked on after him, and she smiled again.

"No one deserves to look that awesome except you, Vincent Valentine," she said, before going to the window to watch him leave. It was the first real time they had been separated in the whole four months they'd been together, and trepidation crawled into her belly.

Vincent exited Edge quickly, a WRO transport waiting for him. He climbed in the back, and Reeve was sitting there waiting for him.

"Ah, Vincent," he said, smiling, "glad to see you could make it."

"I didn't have much choice, did I?" Vincent said, drawing Cerberus and pointing it at Reeve's head. "You have ten seconds to give me the one reason I won't pull this trigger and go back to Yuffie right now." Reeve paled, opened his mouth but couldn't speak, and he started to sweat. Vincent counted backwards in his head, and then pulled the trigger.

The gun clicked empty, and Reeve almost fainted with relief. "You didn't really think I was going to shoot you, did you Reeve?" Vincent said as the truck began to pull away.

"I don't know half the time with you, Vincent," Reeve said, rubbing his face. "Interested in G's history?" Vincent could tell Reeve was as eager for this to end as he was. Vincent nodded and busied himself with loading Cerberus as Reeve explained.

"Alright, we managed to retrieve quite a bit of data from Shinra's databanks, and we have since come to the conclusion that 'G' was definitely a member of SOLDIER. He was First Class, making him highly formidable in combat; there was a partial recording of a training simulation in the databanks. It shows three people duelling; one was Sephiroth, and there were two others. One of them has to be 'G'. No audio, so if there was a name said we can't figure it out. All we know is that if it's who we think it is then we are in very, very big trouble."

"Did Shelke have any info?" Vincent asked.

"Well, if she did, she wouldn't tell me," Reeve said, "She just clammed up when I asked her."

"We don't know the whole story of what they did to her in there," Vincent said; just then his phone rang. That was odd in and of itself. Yuffie was the only one that called him on a regular basis, and she should be busy with Tifa planning the wedding. He pulled out the phone and answered it. "Hello?" he asked.

"_Yes, is this Vincent Valentine?" _A voice said, a voice that Vincent didn't recognise, but it sent chills down his spine. Only one over person ever did that, and that was Sephiroth. This person had the same air in his words; utter confidence and determination.

"Who is this?" Vincent demanded, but the voice chuckled.

"_I've been dialling numbers all morning trying to find you, Vincent Valentine. Quite the job you did to Deepground; Hojo must have been proud of you. Or he would have been, had you been on his side."_

"Who is this?"

"_My name is of no importance just yet, Vincent Valentine. But I do have a question for you; what is young, pale and means more to you than life itself? That's where you'll find me." _The line clicked dead, and Vincent stared at the phone in his hand, letting the words sink in. What was young, pale and means more to him than life itself? The answer hit Vincent like a train and his brain shut down; Yuffie. Vincent stood and burst out of the back of the WRO transport, running full pelt back to Edge. Reeve was shouting at him, but all sound drained away from the world. He felt his anger building, begging for release. His body began to shift and change, and soon Vincent had become the Galian Beast, the dog like animal that Hojo had turned him into in his first experiments. The beast charged through the wilderness, aiming for Edge. The last sane thought in its head was simple; get back to Yuffie.

Yuffie was her normal cheerful, energetic self, throwing herself back into Tifa's wedding planning. It was only going to be a small wedding, because that's what Vincent would have been happy with, but when the news leaked out to the people of Edge, so many people wanted to go that Vincent had to concede and let Tifa and Yuffie plan a large wedding. Godo wasn't making an appearance; according to Yuffie, it was because he felt bad about abducting her and getting Vincent stabbed. Vincent had put a call in himself asking Godo to attend, if only to give Yuffie away, but Godo refused. Vincent had organised with Cid to drag him down here by his long beard if he didn't agree to go willingly.

What they had already organised was plenty; the wedding was going to take place on the cliff overlooking Midgar, which was now covered with flowers. Marlene was the only flower girl they were having, as Shelke refused to join her. Cloud and Tifa were best man and maid of honour respectively, and if Godo still wouldn't attend, Barret was their back-up to give Yuffie away. The ceremony was taking place at noon, so that the flowers would be fully opened. After the ceremony, they were coming back to Seventh Heaven for the reception, after which Vincent and Yuffie were departing for Costa del Sol. Not the most original honeymoon, but it was where Yuffie wanted to go.

So engrossed in the planning, neither of them heard the door open and admit a man clad in red leather, holding a long red blade. He quickly looked and found the one he was looking for; he'd get to Chaos this way for sure. As he raised the blade to attack, someone yelled out, catching their attention. "Teef, where the HELL did you put my sword?"

"It should be in the big cabinet, Cloud!" the other girl, Tifa yelled back. She looked familiar somehow to the man, but now he moved quickly, preparing to stab. But Tifa saw him and yelled out. Yuffie turned and dodged the blade coming down at her head just in time. The sword passed through the wooden table, and Tifa launched herself over it and delivered a punch into the man's face. He was knocked back, and as he looked, a man with spiky yellow hair, holding a blade that was oversized to say the least. His eyes widened, and then the spiky haired man charged, the leather clad man only blocking in time.

"Tifa, get the kids out!" he yelled, "NOW!" As the two locked eyes, something stirred in the leather clad man's memory.

"Wait...I know you from somewhere..." he said.

"It's Cloud," Cloud said, "Cloud Strife. And I remember you...Genesis Rhapsodos."

Genesis grinned. "I know that tone...you sound like that Zack boy." Cloud yelled and forced Genesis back; driving a series of blows and forcing Genesis back out the door before he could retaliate. As it stood, Genesis wasn't interested in trading blows with another disciple of his old friend; he wanted Chaos. He lashed out and knocked Cloud to the ground, but before he could execute another attack, something knocked into him with a roar, throwing him backwards.

Cloud looked up, and saw the Galian Beast. The beast roared at Genesis, who struggled to his feet.

"That's not what I'm looking for," Genesis said, "but it'll DO!" he rushed the Galian, who dodged and struck back. But before any more retaliation could happen, Genesis launched a powerful fireball at Galian, knocking it into a wall and causing it to transform back into Vincent.

"So," Genesis said, flourishing his blade, "This is the great Vincent Valentine, holder of the Protomateria, and vessel of the mighty Chaos. I must say, I am not impressed."

"Vince, be careful," Cloud grunted, "he's an ex-SOLDIER!"

Vincent didn't answer, but drew Cerberus and loosed shot after shot at Genesis, who had to jump up to the buildings to escape the barrage. Vincent quickly reloaded his gun, then jumped up after him, aiming and shooting at Genesis, who deflected and dodged the bullets. This fight was going to long and hard for both combatants.

* * *

Yuffie: HEY! You said I did cool stuff in this chapter! All I did was dodge and run! How is that cool?

Fiori: It's been pushed back a chapter Yuffie, so don't complain. And get out of my house; if I get in shit for you raiding the cupboards again, I will hunt you down

Yuffie: Well, you should entertain your guests more!

Fiori: God, give me strength. Anyway, I don't own FFVII or any of the characters (that doesn't seem to stop them from visiting though)

Yuffie: I'm the only one that visits you!

Fiori: See you next chapter, if I haven't killed Yuffie


	3. Chapter 3: Genesis vs Vincent & Yuffie

Well, here we are; big FF battle number 1! My imagination went into overdrive writing the first part of this chapter and I had to edit most of it out coz otherwise you'd all have been exhausted. I thank everyone who's read the story so far, especially if they've read VWR, and do ask everyone to review and let me know what you think.

Read On and Enjoy

* * *

Genesis and Vincent were leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Vincent keeping up a near constant stream of bullets to prevent the ex-SOLDIER from getting close. Genesis wasn't even breaking a sweat; how much would it take to awaken Chaos? How much further would he have to push this man until he could end this threat?

"Come now, Mr Valentine," he said as the two took a breather, though Vincent needed it more than he did, "This is hardly what I expected from the man who defeated Weiss in combat. Show me your true face, and then we can end this."

"True face," Vincent questioned, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Genesis grinned, putting a hand to his head. It was not often he got to recite anything anymore. "_Soul wrought of terra corrupt, quelling impurity, purging the stream to beckon forth an ultimate fate." _He pointed his sword at Vincent, "_Behold mighty Chaos; Omega's squire to the lofty heavens."_

"That's Lucrecia's Chaos Thesis," Vincent said, "How did you find out about that?"

"Mr Valentine," Genesis said, "I am G, the one the Tsviets got their awesome powers from. How could I not know about your true nature? Of course, my own goals are for the Planet's interests, unlike my dear 'siblings'. I will end the threat to the Planet, no matter the cost."

Vincent couldn't help it; he started laughing. He threw his head back and laughed. "If this is about fighting Chaos," Vincent said, "then I'm happy to disappoint you, G; Chaos returned with Omega to the Planet months ago. There is no 'threat'."

"YOU LIE!" Genesis roared, launching himself across the rooftops and slashing at Vincent, who dodged and began shooting again, jumping into the air. But Genesis came on the offensive, and summoned multiple fireballs and aimed them all at Vincent, who couldn't dodge. The fire engulfed him, but before Genesis could close in for the kill, a burst of light extinguished the fire and Vincent had changed again. His body had grown in muscle, Cerberus had shape-shifted into a chainsaw and his face was now covered with a mask. Hell Masker; another of Hojo's experiments. With a roar, Hell Masker dropped and went into full melee with Genesis, his heightened strength letting him equal the SOLDIER.

"This isn't Chaos," Genesis grunted as he dodged a strike from the chainsaw wielding monster, "SHOW ME CHAOS!" Genesis raised his hand and formed a much larger ball of fire, launching it at Hell Masker. The blast from the fireball knocked it off the roof and into the ground, causing it to revert back to Vincent.

As Genesis stood above Vincent, who was struggling to get up; the old wound from Soto was sending shards of pain through his abdomen so he couldn't get up, he came to a conclusion. "It has just occurred to me, Vincent Valentine that I don't need to make Chaos appear to beat it. I can just kill you instead!" He leapt from the roof, sword pointed down, but at that same moment, a whirring piece of metal came out of nowhere and cut into Genesis's shoulder, causing him to miss and Vincent to move out of the way. The metal shot back into the sky, where a small form caught it and landed next to Vincent. It was Yuffie and her Wutaian shuriken; she was armed with her old arm guard, which had a glowing piece of materia in it. A look of determination dominated her features as Vincent struggled to his feet.

"No one messes with my Vincent," Yuffie said as she stood straight, shuriken at the ready. Genesis groaned as his shoulder poured blood. Why was it always the shoulder?

"Is everyone okay?" Vincent asked her, grabbing Cerberus and loading it.

"Tifa got the kids to Shelke's; she's taking care of Cloud," Yuffie said, "And don't you dare try and send me away to help. I'm not leaving you to fight on your own this time."

Vincent looked at her, and then extended his clawed hand towards her. When she looked at him in confusion, he said simply "I need my other hand to shoot." Yuffie and Vincent looked at each other and nodded, Yuffie taking his clawed hand. Before Genesis could do anything other than grab at his shoulder in pain, Vincent and Yuffie advanced hand in hand, Vincent shooting at him. As Genesis backed up, Vincent threw Yuffie at the ex-SOLDIER. She threw her shuriken, which Genesis deflected, but that was the unspoken plan. Yuffie landed on Genesis's head and jumped up, catching her shuriken and throwing it to Vincent, who caught it in his clawed hand and began fighting in hand to hand with Genesis, the gunslinger showing more aptitude for using it as a hand held weapon. Yuffie activated the materia in her guard, launching Blizzard magic at Genesis, which he dodged and blocked with fire. Vincent unleashed another volley of bullets as the SOLDIER jumped up to the rooftops, passing the shuriken back to Yuffie, who immediately threw it at Genesis again. It scraped his knee as it flew back to her, Genesis jumping into the air.

It was here Genesis revealed his hidden power; a single black wing emerged on his left side and he took flight. Vincent and Yuffie jumped up after him, Vincent still barraging Genesis with bullets. Genesis blocked and dodged all these bullets and took to greater heights as Yuffie and Vincent landed on a rooftop. He slid his hand along his red blade, coating it in fire. From there, he launched multiple fire darts at the couple, who worked in total sync. They leapt and dodged in harmony, Yuffie using Blizzard magic to block the fire darts. Genesis began summoning a larger fireball above his head with one hand. Before he could complete it, the couple leapt into the air, Vincent catching Yuffie's hand in his clawed one. As they connected, they became sheathed in blue energy, the materia in Yuffie's ring glowing brightly. The couple span in the air once, twice, three times, Yuffie's shuriken glowing pure white. On the fourth spin, Yuffie launched the shuriken at Genesis, who unleashed his giant fireball at the same time. In the air, the glowing shuriken's blades growing in length to match the fireball's diameter; when the two connected, the shuriken absorbed the fire into its white energy, turning it into white flame. The shuriken kept spinning towards Genesis, who moved to the side, the blade of the shuriken catching him in the face and shoulder as he moved.

"We will meet again, Vincent Valentine," Genesis said, bleeding as he flew off into the west, the fire on his sword dying.

The shuriken returned to normal as it flew back to Yuffie, who caught it as they floated back down to the rooftops. The couple landed back on the roof, both breathing heavily. They looked at each other, smiled and after a moment said in unison, "I love you," before laughing in relief, holding each other.

"So G is Genesis Rhapsodos," Vincent said as Yuffie was treating his bruises, "and he was First Class?" They were all back in the Seventh Heaven, discussing the battle. Reeve had since joined them as well, hearing Vincent and Yuffie's description of the battle.

"That's right," Cloud said, "He defected from Shinra a few years ago, before Sephiroth turned evil. My friend Zack was sent to defeat him; we ended up eating apples on a hilltop in Banora. I didn't think he was still alive."

"I want to know what he wants with Vincent," Tifa said. The kids were playing upstairs with Shelke watching them. Reeve was listening solemnly to the talk.

"He said he wanted to fight Chaos," Vincent said, "something about it being a threat to the planet."

"That doesn't make any sense though," Yuffie said, "Chaos isn't a threat anymore anyway...is it?"

"Chaos is the key to the Omega safeguard," Reeve said, "It's supposed to wipe the Planet of all life, take the Lifestream to Omega, then they leave to create life on a new world, leaving this one to die."

"I know all that!" Yuffie snapped, "I mean that Vincent doesn't have Chaos anymore, right?" She looked at her fiancé, "Didn't you say it returned to the Planet?"

"I honestly don't know," Vincent said, "If I can still turn into Chaos, I can't do it consciously anymore. Maybe I just used up the Protomateria."

"So Genesis is after Chaos...to protect the Planet from it?" Tifa said. "Is anyone else getting a headache?" Cloud hissed as Tifa checked his bruises. "More importantly, why do guys always flinch after they've taken a beating they don't so much as worry about?"

"Because treating it hurts more," Cloud said as she looked at him. "Now I have a question; why the hell did he fly off?"

"We kicked his ass, that's why!" Yuffie said, throwing a fist into the air as she sat on Vincent's lap. They hadn't told the group about the attack that drove Genesis away. They still didn't understand what had happened. It was clear that it was a Limit Break of some kind, but whatever it was it was infinitely more powerful than any other Limit that they had individually.

"Be that as it may," Reeve said, "I fear we haven't seen the last of Genesis."

"Well," Tifa said, finally stopping her fussing over Cloud, "thanks to him, we've missed out on a whole day of planning. Vince has to go and get Godo down here tomorrow, so we'll have to work our asses off then, Yuffie. God, I still have to book a minister as well!" Reeve stood up indignantly.

"But Tifa," he said imploringly, "Surely finding Genesis is more important than a wed-". He was cut off by Vincent pointing Cerberus at him again.

"Do not finish that sentence," Vincent said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Reeve sat back down, and Vincent lowered his gun. Yuffie looked at him questioningly, but he just shook his head. Tifa and Yuffie left the bar to check on the kids, and Reeve left shortly after to try and track Genesis. On their own, Cloud started.

"What the HELL Vincent?" Cloud yelled at him.

"Don't start Cloud, I am not in the mood," Vincent said.

"What are you going to do, point Cerberus at me?" Cloud asked. Vincent answered by pointing Cerberus at him. "I bet the things not even loaded," Cloud said, folding his arms. Vincent aimed above his head and fired; the gunshot enough to make Cloud fall off his chair in surprise.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND?" Cloud yelled as he jumped up off the floor. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU JUST TRY AND SHOOT ME!"

"Stop yelling at me," Vincent said calmly.

"I'LL STOP YELLING WHEN YOU START TALKING!"

"You've been hanging around Tifa too much," Vincent said, standing up. "In answer to your question, the next person that makes so much as a little baby step that affects mine and Yuffie's wedding day is going to be shot. No one is going to ruin that day, not even an ex-SOLDIER Sephiroth wannabe. Understand?" By this point, he was in Cloud's face, crimson eyes meeting mako green. Before Cloud could respond, Vincent turned, grabbed his cloak and swept out of the bar.

"Guy's gone nuts," Cloud said to himself, going upstairs.

Outside, Vincent yelled in frustration, hitting a solid wall with his un-clawed arm, bruising his hand. Every time! Every time something good happened to him, something else decided to screw with it.

"WHAT ELSE," Vincent yelled at the sky, "WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO THROW AT ME?" His temper got the best of him; he dropped to his knees and began punching the stone ground with both hands, fracturing the knuckles in his right hand and destroying the ground with his left. When his rage was spent, he started shaking, his breath coming short. He held his right hand in his claw, the pain starting to set in. He entered his and Yuffie's room from the window, looking for a Heal materia to mend his broken hand. He didn't hear Yuffie enter the room.

"And what the hell did you do to your hand?" she asked loudly, startling the gunslinger.

"Yuffie..."

"Don't 'Yuffie' me," she said, advancing and snatching his hand, ignoring the wince of pain. "What did you do? Your hand wasn't like this before."

"I beat the crap out of the ground just now," Vincent said. Yuffie just looked at him.

"And what did the ground do to you?" she asked.

"Nothing," Vincent said, "I needed to vent my frustration on something other than Cloud and Reeve."

"Vince, we're getting married in..." Yuffie did the math quickly, "four days. It's going to be one of the best days of our lives, and you go and break your hand by punching the ground? Excuse me for sounding bitchy, but that seems just a little selfish."

"I wasn't thinking," Vincent snapped, snatching his hand back, "alright? Where did you hide all the materia?"

"I sold most of it to help pay for the wedding," Yuffie said, "Saving the world isn't exactly a paying job, remember?"

"You didn't have to sell it," Vincent said.

"What, do you have some hidden stash of money somewhere?" Yuffie asked jokingly.

"Actually, yes," Vincent said, the pain in his hand not letting him think to straight. "Sleeping in a coffin for thirty years tends to build your savings quite a bit." Yuffie just stared at him.

"And you kept this a secret because...why exactly?" she asked.

"To be perfectly honest," he answered, "I didn't think about it." Yuffie reached into her pocket and pulled out a glowing materia, advancing on Vincent. She activated it and held it over his hand, which instantly felt better. He flexed it just to be sure. "Plus, knowing you, I'd probably have already spent all of it already."

Yuffie shook her head, smiling, and then kissed Vincent on the mouth. Pulling back, she said "So, tomorrow you go and talk to my father, then we have three quiet days before we're Mr and Mrs Valentine. If someone had told me this was going to happen when we first met you, I'd have laughed at them." Vincent smiled, pulling Yuffie into a hug. "Hopefully we kicked Genesis's ass enough so he won't turn up for a while."

"Why did you say that?" Vincent groaned, "we don't have enough bad luck already?"

* * *

Yuffie: OH YEAH! WE KICK ASS! (Dances around the room)

Fiori: Don't break (crash) that...

Yuffie: Sorry. Hey, what was the Limit Break called anyway?

Fiori: It's supposed to have a name?

Yuffie: Well, DUH!

Fiori: Didn't come up with one

Yuffie: Well, let the readers come up with one then

Fiori: Alright then, if it gets you out of my house: all readers of Yuffie's Red Flame are invited to name the Vincent/Yuffie tag Limit Break. I do not own FFVII or the characters, but they still won't leave me alone anyway

Yuffie: Hey, what's this thing?

Fiori: DON'T TOUCH THAT!


	4. Chapter 4: Getting Everything Ready

Hey all, I am so, so sorry for the epic lateness of this chapter. I've recently started a writing course, and I haven't had much time just to sit down and write anything. But it's getting better now, so here, after the long wait, is chapter four.

Read On and Enjoy

* * *

"Vincent," Cid said, lighting another cigarette, "I know you're nervous as hell, but would you PLEASE stop with the #$% pacing!" High above the ground, the Shera sailed through the sky, carrying two people; Cid and Vincent. Tifa had kept Cloud back to help with the planning, and Cid's wife Shera was even lending a hand. With everyone either busy or heading to Edge for the wedding in three days, Vincent was on his own, apart from a man he had never really gotten on with.

"Sorry, Cid," Vincent replied, "but I can't help it."

"Nervous, are ya?" Cid asked with a grin, "I remember when I met Shera's folks; thought I was gonna jump right out of my skin I was so shaky. At least you've met the guy before."

"And that turned out well, didn't it?" Vincent asked rhetorically, looking out the large window towards Wutai. He did not expect to be here again so quickly.

"Well..." Cid didn't feel like offering advice to this guy, but he couldn't just leave it hanging, "you didn't honestly expect him to react any #$% differently," Cid asked, "did ya?"

Vincent didn't turn around, but Cid could see his body tighten. "I didn't expect him to kidnap her," he said finally, after a minute or so of silence. Cid released a puff of smoke before taking a quick glance out of the window before returning the Shera to manual pilot, spinning the wheel.

"Well, you best figure out how you're going to bring Goto to Edge," Cid said, "we're almost there. You have any idea what you're going to say to him?" he asked, looking at Vincent. Vincent just turned and looked at him, crimson eyes glowing brightly. Cid hated when Vincent had that look.

"A little," the red-clad gunslinger said with a small smile on his face. Cid inwardly groaned; this was not going to end well.

When Shera landed and the hatch opened, Vincent strode determinedly out of the airship and through to the gondola, where guards were waiting. Fortunately, they were guards who had seen his fight with Soto, and they very quickly got out of the way. Vincent continued his walk through the gondola, passing many different people who whispered about what he was doing there. He ignored them; he had to see Goto, and nothing was getting in the way of that. When he got to the entrance of Goto's throne room, he shoved the doors open, startling the occupant.

"Lord Goto," Vincent said, inclining his head.

"Vincent Valentine," Goto said, standing up with surprise on his face, "what in Leviathan's name are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you to Edge for Yuffie," Vincent said, "willingly or not." Godo stared at him for a few seconds, before trying to make a break for the door behind Vincent. Vincent's arm whipped out and caught his fleeing father-in-law-to-be. "I don't care what your reasons are for not wanting to go, Godo, but you are coming back with me whether you like it or not." Before Godo could respond, Vincent rapped him on the head with his claw and knocked him unconscious, hauling the man onto his shoulder before walking back down his previous path and taking him to the Shera.

"Why the #$% did you knock him out?" Cid asked as Vincent put him in a room on the Shera, before the two of them returned to the control room.

"A theory that doesn't include his reaction to me as a reason to miss his daughter's wedding," Vincent said. Cid tried to question him further, but the gunslinger wouldn't budge an inch. Once the Shera was up in the air, Vincent started to count under his breath.

"What are ya doing that for?" Cid asked.

"I don't have a watch," Vincent replied, before continuing to count. In a few moments, there was a yell of surprise and a crash as Godo fell out of his bed. Cid looked at Vincent, but Vincent just shook his head and held up a clawed finger to signal the pilot to keep quiet. A few moments later, there was a retch and a splatter echoing through the quiet ship. "I thought so; he gets hit by airsickness more so than Yuffie."

"THAT was his reason for not turning up?" Cid asked incredulously. "Damn, he must really hate flying to miss out on the brat's special day." Vincent grunted a response before moving to the windows, looking out as he waited for the journey to end and Yuffie to be back at his side. Only a few more hours, then all he would have to do would be focus on controlling

Yuffie was looking at her ring, concern on her face. The glow of the materia had faded when she and Vincent had fought Genesis. It was a bit brighter now, but nowhere near as bright as what it was before. It worried her; if it had been the cause of their joint Limit Break, what would happen if they needed to fight Genesis again?

That was another thing that had been bothering her while Vincent was gone; why had they been able to perform that Limit Break? It had been a long while since they had used Limit Breaks, and all of Vincent's were him turning into monsters. What did it mean?

"Hey, Yuffie," Tifa's voice snapped Yuffie out of her thought process. "Cid just called. They've got Godo and are on their way back."

Yuffie breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought Genesis might have attacked Vincent while he was on his own. Now that she didn't have to worry about her father or her fiancé, she could focus on the planning. Tifa had finally booked a minister that was willing to perform the ceremony on the cliff top. Barret and Cloud were helping to set up the marquee that would cover the guests. So many people were coming, if it wasn't for Vincent using his own personal wealth, they wouldn't be able to pay for so many people to eat and party afterwards.

"So, I think that is everything," Tifa said, going over her plans, "all that's left is for the groom to turn up, say 'I do' and that's the end of that." Yuffie slumped in her chair, exhausted.

"I didn't think planning a wedding would be so exhausting," she exclaimed.

"It is admirable that you have put so much effort into this," a voice said from behind them. Tifa and Yuffie turned to see Genesis standing at the door. When they both shot up, ready to fight, he gestured at them to relax. "I have no quarrel with you ladies," he said, "nor do I wish to fight Mr Valentine today. I simply wish to offer you my congratulations, Miss Kisaragi."

"How do you know my name?" Yuffie demanded with her eyes narrowed; she wished she had kept her shuriken with her.

"Why, I was fighting in the Wutai War," Genesis explained, "You were only a child then. I am not surprised that you do not remember me." Genesis entered the bar, and Tifa moved in front of Yuffie, hands raised in defence. "And I remember you as well, Miss Lockhart, when Sephiroth torched Neibleheim. You tried taking him on yourself if I recall correctly." Both women stiffened when he casually mentioned the horrors of their past. "But as I said, I am not here to quarrel. I offer my congratulations to the future Mrs Valentine, and I have a wedding present for you." Genesis reached into his coat and pulled out a white envelope. He laid it on the bar, and turned to leave.

"Though the morrow is barren of promises," he said as he left, "nothing shall forestall my return." Then he was gone, and Yuffie let out a sigh of relief. Tifa was still rigid; how dare he mention Neibleheim? He had no right to bring up the flames that engulfed her home, none whatsoever.

"Tifa, he's gone," Yuffie said, putting her hands on her friend's shoulders, "it's alright." Tifa began to relax, and Yuffie went to the bar and grabbed the envelope. She looked it over left and right, and then tore it open. It was a letter to Vincent, with something else inside the envelope.

"Oh no," Yuffie said, a hand flying to her mouth. "How could he do this?"

When Vincent arrived back at Edge, he took Godo out of his room and helped the old man down the ramp. His airsickness hit a lot harder than Yuffie's did, and Vincent didn't think to bring any tranquilisers, so Godo was vomiting the whole trip. Cid was going to get Shera and come back to Edge for the wedding.

"Vincent," Godo wheezed, taking deep breaths between words, "I want to apologise for what happened with you and Soto."

"No apologies are necessary, Lord Godo," Vincent said, hauling Godo's body along the street to the Seventh Heaven. When they got there, Vincent had to knock on the door to get some attention. It was Tifa who answered the door, and when she opened it she was shocked.

"Oh my god Vincent," she said, "what have you done to him?"

"Nothing," Vincent grunted, dragging Godo inside, "He just got really airsick."

"Dad?" was Yuffie's reaction as she helped Vincent get him upstairs and onto a bed. Since Vincent had moved into Yuffie's room, they had a spare free for emergencies like these.

"When he wakes up," Vincent said, stretching, "tell your father to lay off the second helpings at meals." He thought it was pretty funny, but Yuffie wasn't laughing. He looked at her in concern. "You know I'm only joking, right?"

"Vince..." the way she said his name, the way she wouldn't meet his eyes, Vincent knew immediately that something had happened.

"What's wrong Yuffie?" he asked. She didn't say anything, but handed him an envelope. "What's this?"

"A present from Genesis," Yuffie said, "he brought it about ten minutes ago." Vincent's eyes widened. "Vince, I'm so sorry."

Vincent couldn't take this; he opened the envelope and inverted it, shaking out the letter and something else that hit the ground with a 'thump'. Vincent looked down and saw a shard of crystal. He read the letter, and his eyes widened in shock.

_I do apologise, Mr Valentine,  
but I must ignore my conscience  
in order to do what is right.  
She never felt a thing, I promise._

_With Regards  
Genesis_

Vincent looked to the shard of crystal, and he felt sick. Genesis had gone to the Crystal Cave and broken Lucrecia's crystal tomb.

"What are you going to do, Vincent?" Yuffie asked, her voice sounding as if her whole world had been shattered. Vincent looked away from the crystal to see tears leaking from the ninja's eyes. He knew instinctively what she was thinking. If it had been over a year ago, Vincent would have torn the world apart searching for Genesis and make him pay for what he'd done.

"Nothing," Vincent said, drawing Yuffie's surprised gaze to him, "I'm not going to do a thing. He wants me to come after him, and he wants Chaos. He's trying to make me angry by sending me a crystal you can find anywhere and pass it off as a piece of Lucrecia's resting place."

"So, you're not..." Yuffie didn't have to finish her question for Vincent to answer it.

"I'm staying right here," he told her, tossing the letter to the ground and pulling Yuffie into an embrace, "with you. In two days, I'm going to make you Mrs Valentine and whisk you away from here. After all of that, if Genesis still wants a fight, I'll kill him for making you worry about me." Yuffie squeezed Vincent tightly, tears of happiness replacing the ones of fear. This was her Vincent, and nothing anyone did could keep them apart.

Genesis was waiting outside of Edge, watching the moon as he waited for Vincent Valentine to find him. He had left plenty of clues to his current place. Here, away from civilians, he would force Chaos to unleash itself and he would destroy it, saving the planet.

Genesis stood there for hours, and he was confused. Surely, the destruction of his precious Lucrecia's cave would be sufficient cause for Vincent to come after him. Why hadn't he shown up? What was keeping him? He had to turn up, he had to.

As the sun rose, Genesis realised that something else had happened. Vincent had to hate him, he had to. Chaos had to rise for Genesis to cut him down; where the hell was Vincent Valentine? In the light of the rising sun, Genesis realised that his plan had not worked at all. Vincent was not angry at him for destroying the cave. But he was sure that his love for...that was it! The flaw in his plan; Vincent _loved _Lucrecia. Past tense; he was now in love with the Kisaragi girl. She had changed him so much. Genesis's shoulder twinged from the memory of their defeat of him.

"I have made a wrong move," Genesis said to the lightening sky, "but I can correct it. It's your move, Vincent Valentine."

* * *

Tifa: Holy crap!

Fiori: Tifa? What the hell are you doing here?

Yuffie: I brought her along to see how you were going

Fiori: ...I'M ON A FREAKING TRAIN!

Yuffie: So?

Tifa: Vincent is just so adorable! I want to cuddle the both of you and just *dissolves into fangirl mode*

Fiori: I thought I was writing an exaggeration

Yuffie: No, she's really like that

Fiori: Anyway, I do not own FFVII or any of the characters

Yuffie: See you next time!

Fiori: THAT'S MY LINE!


End file.
